A Thin Line
by LoLtHHH
Summary: The line between Love and hate is very thin...
1. Default Chapter

"Legolas, this is Princess Lorelei of Sindaria. Now say hello." Queen Marilla told her toddler gently. Legolas looked up at his mother then back at Lorelei. Then reached out a pulled a lock of her long, deep auburn hair.  
  
"AHHHHHH!" Lorelei screamed in response, but before retreating into the folds of her mother's gown reached back at him and scratched Legolas on the forearm with her perfect, but lethal nails. At that, both of them erupted into tears. That was their first meeting, and the most civil moment the two shared for a long, long time.  
  
TWENTY YEARS LATER  
  
Legolas' mother glared at Legolas from across the room. He rolled his eyes, sighed, and walked over to Lorelei who was desperately attempting to avoid Legolas and the inevitable situation that came with him whenever he approached her during this ball. After several laps around the ballroom, Legolas finally caught up with her and said those dreaded five words. Actually, Lorelei was probably the only person in all of Middle Earth who dreaded those words; in fact, most of the other girls in the room would have killed for him to ask them. "May I have this dance." Legolas forced, trying not to sneer, but not trying to hold back his glare at all. After sighing in defeat, Lorelei replied, sounding utterly tortured, "Gladly." The involuntary couple timidly approached the dance floor. It was true they never took their eyes off each other, but it wasn't a loving gaze, but one of pure venom. As soon as they stepped out, the two saw both of their mothers casting glances at them, whispering and then Lorelei's mother rush over to the orchestra, and they immediately struck up a slow, romantic song. Both Legolas and Lorelei groaned. The one and possibly only thing they agreed on was that their mothers were impossible, and even then the two argued bitterly over which of them hated it more. The pair started dancing, and Legolas found joy in stepping on Lorelei's open toes at every possible moment. The first time she winced in pain and glowered at him, but then she seemed to think of something that let her suppress her pain and her lips curved up a tiny bit in an evil, evil grin. In the last few moments of their mandatory dance she lifted up her foot and let her spiked heel down on Legolas' foot. "AAAHHHH!" He cried out in pain. "OH! Legolas, I'm so sorry." She grinned and started to walk away from him as a crowd formed around the inured prince. She turned and mockingly blew him a kiss. "I win." She mouthed back to him He scowled and mouthed something comparable to "go to hell." She grinned, turned around and walked back to her guest quarters. "Meet you there." She muttered to herself. That summarizes just about every ball the two ever had to attend together. The method of revenge varied (after Lorelei broke Legolas' foot she had to wear flat shoes, and after Legolas cut off Lorelei's hair to her shoulder he was searched for scissors before every ball) and the victor alternated pretty dependably, but, like clockwork, every time they would find some way to cause the other anguish.  
  
TWENTY YEARS LATER  
  
Lorelei laughed heartily as Kenne did a perfect imitation of Legolas the night before when he had seen the two of them talking. "Whe...nn...bu..he..." Kenne mocked, completely nailing Legolas' flustered appearance. "C'mon, let's walk." Lorelei asked, pulling his hand. They started down the path known as Lovers Lane, because it was easily the most romantic place in all of dreary Mirkwood. They walked side-by-side, just enjoying each other's company, when Lorelei gasped. "Oh, that is the most beautiful thing in all of this dreary place." She said gazing out at the magnificent waterfall that lay before her. "Other than you anyway," Kenne agreed, gazing not at the waterfall, but Lorelei. She blushed and looked down, and when she looked back up, she slowly leaned her head in, waiting for her first kiss. They had nearly made contact when- several gallons of ice cold water poured on them from above. Lorelei's eyes widened in shock and cold. Kenne looked the same. "Umm, right," Kenne said, eyeing something up above in the tree, "I've got to go." "No, wait," Lorelei protested, but he was gone. Then she looked up to see what had just scared away her potential boyfriend. "LEGOLAS!" she screeched, seeing that incorrigible blonde grinning down at her from an upper branch, bucket in hand. "JESUS CHRIST! YOU BASTARD, I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!" "Princess' aren't supposed to curse." He mocked. "WHY DID YOU DO THAT!" "Or yell." "WHY!" "You're supposed to love me." He joked, scoffing. Lorelei, not getting it, screamed, "OH, DON'T WORRY, I WILL! IN FACT, I THINK I ALREADY LOVE YOU! JUST BE SURE TO BUNDLE UP FOR OUR WEDDING BECAUSE MORDOR WILL HAVE FROZEN OVER!" Conveniently, just as both of their mothers walked up to see what all the yelling was about. Both of them were punished for being rude, although both of them insisted what the other had done was much worse. That is what became of most of the boys Lorelei tried to begin relationships with, while Legolas was around anyway.  
  
TWENTY YEARS LATER  
  
"Excuse me sir, but where are your archery fields?" Legolas inquired Lorelei's father, King Gerald. "Ah, so, fine toning you're archery skills are you? Lorelei, why don't you show our guest the archery fields?" the King replied. Lorelei snapped the book that she had been reading under the table shut and looked up. "What?" "Could you show Prince Legolas down to the archery fields? Maybe he could teach you how to shoot." Lorelei opened her book again and absent-mindedly replied, "No, I'm afraid I couldn't." "Why not? And don't read at the breakfast table." her father demanded. Lorelei sighed and looked back up, "I have a previous engagement." "Doing what?" "Things." "With whom?" "People." "Where?" "Places." "Well, since you have so few details on this previous engagement you'll just have to cancel." The King replied, happy, feeling he had her pretty much trapped. "Fine." She consented, which aroused everyone's suspicions; she never, ever went along with things without a long and tiring fight. She looked to Legolas. "Let's go." And she led him out of the palace. Once they had both saddled and mounted their horses, she pointed down the road and directed him. "Go down there about half a mile, turn left and continue on that way until you reach them." And se began to ride out in the opposite direction. "Wait, aren't you supposed to go down there with me." "You're a big boy, you'll make it." She replied over her shoulder. He scowled. "No I need you to come with me to ensure you didn't just direct me to a balrog's den or anything." It was Lorelei's turn to scowl. "Why would I ever do something like that?" she said sarcastically. "I mean, you're such a nice person and all." "Just show me where the archery fields are!" "And so patient!" She continued. He rolled his eyes as she turned around to lead him. They rode side by side... for about five seconds. It immediately turned into a race after that, and they had reached the fork, where Lorelei had told him to turn left, in about thirty seconds. However, Lorelei turned right. "What was to the left?" Legolas inquired, wondering where he would have ended up if he had trusted her. "The zoo." She added wryly, "Where we keep the balrog."  
  
At last they reached the archery fields. "Well, you're here, bye-bye." "Hey wait, aren't you going to shoot?" Upon her silence, Legolas grinned in malice. "You don't know how." "Shut up. I do too!" "Then go."  
  
"I'm proud to say I have far better things to do right now." And she started to turn back. "You're chicken!" Those were the magic words. Lorelei dismounted her horse angrily and screamed, "I am not and never will be a chicken." Glaring daggers at Legolas, she grabbed the bow out of is hands and demanded, " Give me a couple arrows." He reached into his quiver and held two out to her. She reached out and snatched them from his hand. For a moment she looked at she bow and arrow blankly, but then seemed to get an idea of what to do. 'Please let this be the right way to hold this hunk of crap' she thought, lifting the bow and pulling the string back. "I'm shocked. You know how to hold it." Legolas commented sarcastically. Lorelei mentally sighed in relief. Now she just had to figure out how to shoot this thing. After a few moments of what she hoped seemed like aiming, she let the arrow go. And it flew straight and true... four feet to the left of the target. Legolas burst into hysterics. Between fits of laughter he managed to get out his rude insults. "I had thought you would at least get within a foot of the target!" "You little ass! You messed me up!" she lied, and raised the bow at him threateningly. Legolas just looked her and grinned. "I'm not worried. You'd probably miss, despite the fact that I'm about five feet away from you." Lorelei shrieked in humiliation and fury. "I hate you Legolas!" "The feeling is mutual." Hearing that, she stormed over to her horse and rode as fast as she could to the Forgotten Gardens. The forgotten gardens were a set of exquisite gardens that one of the past kings of Sindaria had made for his lover, and soon to be wife. Sadly, the woman died a mere week before their wedding of an illness she had been battling for some time. The king, trying to shut out her memory, locked the beauty of the gardens behind a fifteen-foot wall. Over the millennia, the gardens became a myth to all but the royal family, which made the perfect hideout for Lorelei. She had discovered it a decade ago while, ironically, trying to flee Legolas. Even after all these years she had to suck in her breath when she first entered the gardens after unlocking the heavy wooden door that was the only entryway into the magnificent gardens. There were over 20 acres within those high stone walls, but Lorelei didn't have to go far to get to where she wanted to be. After going through the lavender field and passing the Tulip beds, she reached the Willow Grove. The Willow Grove was a medium sized pond surrounded by the most fantastic willows on earth. In the summers that she spent here, she liked to just spend the afternoon down here, swimming, reading in the shade, and sipping cool lemonade. It was the only time she had to be alone, and she wouldn't even have it if her mother knew about it. The only person that knew that she knew about the forgotten gardens, was Galadriel, who had seen Lorelei thinking about it. She and Galadriel were fairly close, so she didn't need to worry about her telling anyone. She closed her eyes and slid down along the tree. I can't believe I humiliated myself in front of him! Stupid, stupid pride! Why did I tell him I knew how to shoot? Why? She wondered. Then, she was struck with a sudden sense of determination. I will train every day and soon I will become the best archer in all of Middle Earth. Legolas will regret ever making fun of me. For the remainder of that year Lorelei trained herself. After much debate, a temper tantrum, and threats to run away, her parents finally got her a teacher, Master Onewgon, one the most skilled archers in Middle Earth. By the next summer, Lorelei was just as good as Legolas, if not better. When he realized that, he immediately began practicing more until he had regained his position as the best archer. Upon hearing this, Lorelei refined her shot to the point where she could target moving insects from great distances, something nobody had previously accomplished. That flared Legolas' temper, and he promptly perfected that and took it to a higher level, using smaller and smaller insects. This continued for another century, until the point where neither could beat the other in any way. They were forced to accept that they could improve themselves no more, and would have to just deal with the not being better than the other. 


	2. 

Every summer, and an occasional winter, Legolas and Lorelei would be forced to visit the other with their mothers (who, surprisingly, remained good friends through all of the pains they're children put each other through), alternating between Sindaria and Mirkwood. They would spend two months in the others palace, and several balls were always held during that time for the visiting sovereigns. The young Prince and Princess' relationship never improved. In fact, the deep hatred that they both held for the other, if anything, worsened over the years. Thankfully, their mothers had the sense not to betroth them, although it was apparent they wanted to very badly. After a thousand years of their annual visits, Lorelei was called on by The Eyes, an exclusive counsel made up of only the most talented seers. It was found that Lorelei could sense things. First of all, she was a virtual lie detector, one penetrating look into a person's eyes could tell her many more things than that person would like. Secondly, she had a sort of radar for evil. When orcs or any other thing of evil nature was within a certain perimeter of her, she found she just knew about. There was no physical sign, and her sense wasn't a feeling that she got. She just knew, like the way you know your name. It wasn't a burden to her, it didn't cause her any pain, physical or otherwise, it was just a bit of knowledge. It couldn't be ignored easily, but it wasn't something unbearable to deal with. The Eyes called on her to heighten her sense and teach her ways to use her powers for the common good. Because the Eye's Island was such a long journey from Sindaria, Lorelei would hardly be able to see her family every five years, let alone have time to see Legolas. So, to the dissatisfaction of both of their mothers, it became apparent that Legolas and Lorelei would probably not be able to see each other for another hundred years, when Lorelei would get back. This of course, thrilled both of them.  
  
THE NIGHT BEFORE LORELEI'S DEPARTURE  
  
WHOOSH! Lorelei felt a slight breeze as an arrow barely missed grazing her cheek. She whirled around angrily and glared at the now laughing Legolas who stood on the opposite side of her private balcony. "You dumb blonde! One of these days you're going to miss and kill me." He merely grinned cockily. "Who said I wasn't aiming to kill?" Lorelei rolled her eyes. "You aren't even supposed to be here. How did you get in?" "I didn't need to. You're so stupid you left your door unlocked." "I wasn't aware you would take it as an invitation." Then she sighed and turned back to look out at the landscape that lay before her. If anything, she had a beautiful view from her room here in Mirkwood, which had been designated for her use only after. "Not even you can ruin my mood today. 'Cause I am leaving, never to see your maniacal, pompous, and arrogant face again." Legolas walked up next to her. "Not if our mothers have their way." He turned to face her. "I heard them talking, and their trying to figure out some way for me to visit you." "No way!" "Yes way," he answered, mocking her. She scowled. "Well I'll figure out some way to talk them out of it. Or I could just kill you off and not have to deal with excuses." She looked off into the distance as though contemplating the idea. "I doubt you could pull it off, you aren't the brightest she-elf." "Legolas, I don't know if you've noticed, but I always get my way." "So that explains why you're a spoiled brat." Lorelei's eyes widened in fury at that. "As opposed to you! How many golden crowns do you have again? Twelve, wasn't it? She retaliated, then cursed. She shouldn't have gone there. Legolas' eyebrows raised in surprise. She didn't often set him up with something that easy. "Hey, Lor, what was the tiara count last time you checked? I think it was around 32, and that was five years ago." Lorelei blushed furiously. Thank god he doesn't know I hit 50 a month go. Legolas laughed out loud suddenly.  
  
"You're ears turn red when you're embarrassed," he said grinning. Lorelei groaned. How could anyone find this poor excuse for an elf in any way attractive? "What are you here for Legolas?" Lorelei asked, realizing that she had been wrong, he had actually managed to make her feel bad on this seemingly perfect night. "I'm am supposed to say good bye, and wish you well."  
  
"And so you come over here, shoot arrows at me and insult me? You are one incredibly screwed up elf." She pointed to the balcony door, "You can go out the way you came in" Legolas started towards the door, then pivoted and added, "Oh, by the way, I know that you got you've had over fifty tiaras for about six months now," then turned and ran, barely avoiding the shoe Lorelei had furiously hurled at him.  
  
The next day, Lorelei left, accompanied by a grand entourage of servants, guards, and ladies in waiting. Legolas knew he was supposed to say goodbye one last time, but he instead chose to steal a cake from the kitchen and hold and impromptu party celebrating her departure with a couple of his friends (None of his friends were actually glad to see her go, the majority of them had crushes on her, but they were very loyal and chose to just keep Legolas happy). As her carriage progressed further and further away from her palace, Lorelei couldn't help grinning. Never again will I have to put up with that bastard's taunts. Never again will I be forced to think up brilliant ways to avenge myself after one of his stupid acts of hatred. Never again. As Legolas watched Lorelei's carriage progressed further and further away from the palace, he couldn't help grinning. Never again will I have to put up with her endless whines or think up ways to avenge myself after she pulls one of her stupid stunts. Never again will I have to sit through endless lectures from my mother about the importance of that wench and I being friends. Never again.  
  
One hundred and fifty years passed. Lorelei's skills for lie detecting could not be improved any further because of her fierce stubbornness' against mind reading (which, no offense to her Godmother, Galadriel, she thought was completely immoral and against freedom of thought). Her ability to sense evil was honed during those years to the point where she could sense what direction the source of evil was, approximately how far away it was, and the extent of evil it possessed. The Eyes were very disappointed to find that she had no sense of the future whatsoever, but continued to try for the entire length of time. For that 150 years, Lorelei kept up correspondence with her family and most of her good friends At last the day came where Lorelei could return home. To everyone's shock, it seemed that 


End file.
